


Steele Watching

by lovetvfan



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:22:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23200888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetvfan/pseuds/lovetvfan
Summary: Takes place after "Santa Clause is Coming to Steele" both Laura and Remington are extremely "itchy". After an encounter in the office elevator, Remington returns Laura's purse to her only to find her in a very compromising position. Will crossing that line force them to air out their differences?
Relationships: Laura Holt/Remington Steele
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

Mildred Krebbs had seen a lot of things in her lifetime. Working at Remington Steele Investigations meant that she saw some of the weirder and darker sides of Los Angeles. It was a job she’d never imagined she would be in.

Coming in as a secretary only to start training to get her Private Investigator’s license had been a dream come true. But perhaps even more rewarding was the relationship she had formed with her employers – affectionately known in her own mind as her “kids”.

Though they may have signed her paycheques, they felt more like family to her and she’d had the unique privilege of watching them grow and change in the 3 years she had been at the agency.

It was no secret to anyone with a pair of eyes, that Remington Steele the face of the agency and Laura Holt, the owner and brains behind it were madly in love. The only people who hadn’t seemed to realize it was them.

Mildred had watched the slow, sometimes painful dance they had been doing around one another for three years. It had seemed at times like they would never find their way to one another, but lately what Mildred had been observing between the two of them told a different story.

Mildred of course, didn’t pry. She was a willing ear for Laura whenever she needed to vent, but she knew when to back off and mind her business as well. Still, the nature of a Private Investigator was to observe and make deductions, and lately Mildred had been observing some serious sexual tension between the two of them.

Again, this was not something she discussed with either of them, but she did keep her bowling team appraised every week as they loved to hear the tales and exploits of Laura and Remington. Her bowling team joked that if this was a television series the fans would be getting seriously annoyed that the two main characters hadn’t figured out what everyone else seemed to already know.

Oh, there was always some sort of sexual tension between the two of them even when they were fighting. But there wasn’t always the same level of connection that Mildred had been seeing lately. 

They’d had a rough few cases. A stalker had recently come after Laura at the same time that an old nemesis was attempting to kill off any witnesses to the hostage situation they had experienced at Christmas. What would have once pushed the two of them further apart, now seemed to be bringing them closer together.

And while Mildred didn’t have the inside scoop as to when her “kids” would finally cross that intimacy threshold, she guessed that based on their recent behavior towards one another, they would do so any day now.

Take today for example. It was clear they’d had a date the night before by the way Laura had behaved the entire day. She’d been distracted, tense and completely uninterested in the day to day workings of the agency. It was completely unlike her, but was becoming more common the more time the two of them spent together.

Mildred felt somewhat proud of herself for picking up the clues of their relationship and putting them together. She had watched as Laura barely listened to a client, put a casefile in the wrong filing cabinet and had left her coffee to get cold on her desk on at least three separate occasions. It was almost amusing to observe how she seemed to get more and more tense the closer Mr. Steele physically got to her. 

Mr. Steele, on the other hand, was watching her like a starving man watches a three course meal. It was clear that whatever they had gotten up to the night before, the two of them were not yet satisfied. Mildred was older, but she wasn’t blind.

When five-o-clock rolled around, the two of them couldn’t seem to get out of the office fast enough. They both bid her a quick farewell for the evening and headed to the elevator, leaving Mildred to lock up.

She watched her kids go, with a soft rueful chuckle. _Oh, to be that young and to have that much time,_ she thought. These days, if Mildred came across someone with which she had that kind of a connection, she would hold tight and never let go.

Still, they had to come to things in their own time. Meanwhile, Mildred would go to her bowling night and update her friends on their latest adventures. Tomorrow was another day.


	2. Chapter 2

Laura Holt was having difficulty thinking of anything other than _him._ No matter how much she had tried to concentrate on her work, all she could think about that day was her roguishly handsome partner and the incredibly romantic, and sensual evening they had spent together the night before.

He had made her a wonderful meal which they had enjoyed by the fireplace followed by an extraordinarily intimate embrace. She’d been thinking of nothing else all day. He’d felt so good touching her – his hands brushing lightly down her face and the side of her body and up her back. His kisses seemed to reach every part of her. The way he had looked at her – as if he was trying to confess everything he couldn’t say in words had been almost frightening. His eyes, while normally expressive, had told a story last night.

The wine, the music and the meal, and the naked emotion in his eyes, had almost been enough to completely melt her defenses. It was the first time since their relationship started that she’d had difficulty remembering why she was so hesitant to go to bed with him in the first place.

Truthfully, she wasn’t even sure what she was waiting for anymore. The two of them had grown closer than ever. She knew that he wasn’t intentionally withholding his name from her, and the fact that he had travelled all the way to the UK to try to find the truth of his identity told her more than words ever could.

Yet her defenses had been in place for so long, she wasn’t sure how to let them down anymore. The Laura Holt that had existed while she dated Wilson Jeffries was there, but buried beneath so much fear and self doubt that it was taking longer than either of them had anticipated to make an appearance.

Last night, as his hand grazed gently over the bra strap underneath her blouse, she had wanted nothing more than to let go and to let him deliver on the promise in his kisses. She had wanted to reach underneath his classic cable knit sweater and run her hands along his chest as she removed his clothing. The urge to take the lead had been so strong it had frightened her. How she’d ever gotten the self control to leave was beyond her – but leave she had and now she’d spent all of her day working next to him in the office feeling…extremely... _itchy._

She was almost certain that she hadn’t heard more than two words their client had said to them during their initial interview and was embarrassed to admit that she would be relying heavily on Mildred’s excellent note taking skills the following day.

She was rather certain that he was suffering the same effects during the day as well, if the numerous heated looks he had shot her way were any indication. It was a rather heady feeling to know that his eyes had followed her wherever she had gone as they worked side by side.

He kept finding excuses to be near her. The man who was permanently allergic to paperwork had even offered to look through the recent casefile with her. She could smelt he faint scene of his aftershave as she had done so and her breath caught every time their hands touched or their eyes met.

Every look from him was an unspoken promise. They couldn’t deny each other much longer and they both knew it.

As they stepped onto the empty elevator it came as no surprise that the moment the doors closed, he reached out and pulled her to him, crushing her lips to his in a kiss full of pent up frustration and deep longing.

The kiss was raw and powerful, and Laura felt the heat gather almost immediately between her legs. He tried to hide his own reaction from her out of courtesy, but it was almost impossible to do so. It was very clear what he wanted – what they both wanted. Before Laura knew what was happening, his body was pressing urgently against hers, his hands running through her hair, removing her ponytail and running down her body to the small of her back.

Her own hands seemed to have a mind of their own as well as she found herself loosening his tie and attempting to undo the top buttons of his crisp dress shirt. She wasn’t sure why, but she was desperate to feel his skin. It was a need that she hadn’t even realized she was capable of.

Laura was so immersed in the feel of his lips and the way his hands were touching her, that she almost missed the sound of the elevator signalling they had reached the main floor. As the doors started to open it felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head. She jumped back and exited the elevator, unable to even look him in the eye. 

Normally at the end of the day, she would turn and say “Good night Mr. Steele”, but this time the words wouldn’t come to her. She didn’t want to say good night. She wanted to go home with him. She wanted to finish what they had started in the elevator, but her own embarrassment prevented her from telling him that. All she could do was manage a half-hearted wave as she exited the double doors aware that if she didn’t get straight into her car, she would almost certainly end up in his. 

As she drove home, she pondered what had transpired in the elevator. It was like something out of a tawdry romance novel. As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she was embarrassed to see that her hair was loose, tangled and her lipstick was a mess. Her body hadn’t fully recovered from the effects of the kiss either.

Her breathing was shallow as she drove, thinking about how it had felt to really let go with him. She had spent so many nights imagining what it would feel like to be pressed against him like that, to feel the demands of his body. The reality had been almost too much to handle. What would he be like as a lover? If that kiss was any indication he would make whatever she had experienced with other men feel insignificant.

As she arrived at her loft, her entire face was flushed with arousal. All she’d been able to think about during the drive home was what might have happened if they had been in his apartment when he’d kissed her like that, and not in the office elevator. She’d been ready to throw caution entirely to the wind and she knew he’d sensed that.

They would need to sit down and have a talk about where this was headed and come to some kind of decision on their next course of action before their bodies made the decision for them. But until then, she needed to do something about the sexual frustration she was still feeling.

She yanked open the door to her loft and headed straight for the bed where she pulled her blouse and skirt off. Both felt far too confining at the moment and she found herself desperately needing to feel the cool air on her skin.

She hoped it would help to quell the overwhelming need inside of her, but having that much of her skin exposed like that only made it worse. The kiss in the elevator mixed with last night’s dinner seemed to play over and over in her head on repeat followed graphically by the imagery of what might happen next.

She knew she would have to deal with that frustration before she could do anything else. Laying back on the pillow, she closed her eyes, placed her shaking hand on her belly button and allowed herself to picture what it might feel like to have him here, pressed against her naked body, his kisses causing the wetness between her legs to grow.

As her imagination took over, her hand crept lower and lower down her body until it reached her center. Her breath caught as she thought about what it would feel like to have him enter her, to move inside her the way her fingers were currently doing.

A soft whimper escaped her as she let those images take over, completely unaware of the rest of the world as she explored alone what her inhibitions wouldn’t let her explore with him.

****


	3. Chapter 3

Remington stumbled out of the elevator, dazed and painfully aroused by what had transpired between them. He didn’t even have a chance to wish her goodnight before she almost raced away to her car.

 _Embarrassed no doubt,_ he thought to himself as his mind went back to the way she’d reacted to his touch – with a desperation he had never experienced from her.

He’d had enough presence of mind to adjust himself so as to not expose just how affected his body was to any poor soul that happened to get on the elevator after them, but the fact that nobody else could see it did not make it any less difficult for him.

She’d wanted him. It was a realization that surprised him. They had gotten to close lately that he knew their relationship would reach the physical heights he had been wanting for some time very soon. Still, it had never occurred to him that she might want him just as much as he wanted her.

He'd always been so successful with women, that Laura’s refusal to become his lover for so long had caused him to think that he wanted her far more than she wanted him – physically at least. He was deeply in love with her, but her hesitancy always caused him to fear that she was not as invested as he was – physically or emotionally.

The kiss in the elevator as well as the night before told a different story. He’d never felt such desire from her. She had once been described as ‘absurdly passionate’ but he hadn’t seen any evidence of that until now.

It looked like he had a date with his very cold shower when he got home. He was about to open the door of the Auburn when an elderly woman, whom he vaguely recognized as having gotten on the elevator as they had exited, tapped him on the shoulder.

His own present state of arousal made it difficult for him to look the woman in the eye. He was able to concentrate well enough to notice that she was holding onto Laura’s purse, as she asked if it belonged to “the young lady in the elevator.”

“Yes,” he said clearing his throat. “It does. She’s my associate. I will get it to her.”

Thankfully the woman believed him and he took the purse and got into the Auburn.

He should have gone home. He could have easily driven to his apartment, phoned her up and let her know that her purse was with him, safe and sound.

Yet the urge to deliver the purse to her personally overrode any sense of logic. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. And it just so happened that he now had the perfect excuse.

He needed to look her in the eye and tell her what he hadn’t been able to the night before. He couldn’t keep living this way. She was like a drug and he was completely addicted. He needed to see her smile, wanted desperately to hear that short intake of breath as he kissed her. He had never felt this way for someone – he didn’t even know he was capable of it.

He sped the entire way to her loft and sprinted up the stairs, barely even noticing them as he did so. As intent as he was on his task, he still noticed that she had left her large sliding door slightly ajar. A thrill of fear ran through him as his mind flashed back to the dangers they had recently faced. After what had happened with Wally the building manager, he did not think it likely that she would leave her door unlocked, much less ajar. Was she in trouble?

He let himself in and scanned the room looking for her, not wanting to frighten her but also very aware that she could be in real danger. He didn’t see her anywhere at first.

Her living area was totally empty, but the curtain was pulled around her bed on the upper area of the loft. Images flashed through his mind from her being held against her will to more grisly possibilities that he would rather not dwell on.

Then he heard it – that soft intake of breath he’d been thinking about all the way there – a sound that could only come from Laura. It was coming from the direction of her bed. He should have announced his presence, but something inside him told him not to.

Gently he peeled back the curtain that surrounded her bed, just as she let out a deep and very loud moan.

The first thing he noticed was that she was laying on the bed in only her bra and panties. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was biting her lip. The expression on her face was one of pure ecstasy. A half a second later, he realized why that was as his eyes travelled downwards to see her legs were open wide and her left hand was inside her underwear moving quickly in and out of her body. 

His body responded before his mind had a chance to process it.

The other thing he knew almost instinctively, despite having no real reason to do so, was just how close she currently was to orgasm. 

The moment he realized the implications of that, he averted his eyes and tried desperately to contain his body’s response to the knowledge he now possessed.

He tried to back away without her noticing he was even there, but a misplaced step caused his foot to connect unceremoniously with her dresser and he watched as her eyes flew open and she yelped in surprise.

“Mr. Steele what are you doing here?” She exclaimed, not even attempting to hide what she had been doing. _Interesting,_ he thought. Perhaps she was to shocked to realize that her hand remained inside of her. Either way, he knew he had a small window with which to get out of there in order to save them both the inevitable humiliation.

“Forgive me Laura,” he said, clearing his throat and trying desperately not to sound like a fourteen year old who had just been caught looking at a contraband magazine. “I just wanted to return this to you.” He set the purse down on what he presumed was the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, knowing he sounded ridiculous. “I’ll go.”

He was almost to the door when she spoke.

“No,” she hadn’t even realized the word had left her lips or how bold she had sounded until she saw his eyes darken every so slightly and his jaw tense. “Stay…please.”


	4. Chapter 4

He turned, and she noticed that this time, he did not avert his eyes. Instead, he made his way over to the bed and sat down on the far corner of it, as if afraid to come any closer. She stood up and he gritted his teeth, trying to keep his composure.

She wasn’t dressed in anything overtly sexual, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her. Her underpants were a light cotton blue, and very sensible. Her bra matched, leading him to believe it was something she likely picked up at a department store two for one sale. Still, the memory of that look on her face was too much for him. He imagined what it would be like to be inside her the way her fingers had been and he knew he couldn’t stay in this room much longer and remain in control.

Slowly, almost cautiously, she walked over to him and took his hand. Remington took a deep breath.

“I really don’t think I should,” he told her in response to her plea for him to stay. His eyes were dark and unreadable. The image of her once again flashed through his mind. “I can’t promise I could restrain myself if I did.”

“Good,” Laura said.

Shocked, he looked up and into her eyes. She took his hand and guided it to her hip. Without thinking he pulled her closer until she was standing between his legs and looking down at him. Her face was flushed. If he wanted to, he could count every freckle. But that was a task for another day.

“What are you saying, Laura?” He asked. His hand still rested on her hip, but her skin seemed to burn him. He wanted nothing more than to move it down to the waistband of her panties and remove them entirely. He wanted to touch her as intimately as she had been touching herself. 

Laura wanted that too, more than she had ever wanted anything. Maybe it was the fact that in the past few weeks they had grown closer than they ever had in the last four years. Maybe it was the kiss in the elevator. Maybe it was the fact that the mere thought of him had brought her to the edge of orgasm before he’d walked in.

Maybe it was the fact that she was staring into his fathomless blue eyes right now as her own body begged for him. Whatever it was, she was done saying no.

“I’m saying I want you,” she told him, her breathing shallow but her voice strong. Before he could respond, she bent down and kissed him.

It was unlike any kiss they had shared before. This was not a chaste peck or even a deep and soulful exploration. This was a kiss of pure lust…of raw, unleashed need. Remington stood up and pulled her closer until her almost naked body was flush against his fully clothed one.

He felt exactly the way she had imagined. His body was lithe and solid against hers. His erection pressed prominently through the fabric of his clothing and for once he wasn’t trying to hide it. The solid, reliable and practical Laura Holt had left the building and the Laura who had given the fan dance at Pepe’s had taken the wheel.

They kissed again and this time neither one of them held back. There was a desperation – an almost urgency to both of them – as if any moment now one would come to their senses. At this point, Remington wasn’t sure which one of them it would be. As much as he wanted this – every inch of his body wanted this – a tiny voice whispered in the back of his mind that this wasn’t right.

It certainly wasn’t how he had always imagined it happening. His own fantasies of how he might finally seduce Laura typically involved a romantic location, a roaring fire and some fine champagne – something out of a film like Casablanca. Instead, this felt more like the plot of one of those films you find behind curtain in some seedy adult store.

But her hands….her hands were everywhere, and oh how he wanted to let them explore. He wanted to let her take complete control and just go along for the ride, but the nagging feeling in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him let go completely.

What had she been thinking of when he had walked in and found her in such a state of undress? More importantly, _who_ had she been thinking of?

Who…that one little word was like a splash of cold water. He pulled back, trying to catch his breath and regain some semblance of control.

Laura felt bereft at the sudden loss of contact.

“I…I can’t,” he was saying. She could see him struggling to find the right words. She took a step back and wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly painfully aware of how vulnerable she was. He had seen something she had never meant for anyone else’s eyes and when she was in control that had been enough to propel her to make a move.

But the one thing she never expected was for him to pull back.

“What is it? I thought you wanted this…me.” The last word came out almost as a whisper. She could no longer look him in the eye.

He gave a sharp, uncharacteristic laugh.

“Laura one look at me, should tell you that I want you.”

Laura’s eyes glanced down to his arousal almost in spite of herself. “Then I don’t understand.” 

“I’m not sure I understand it myself,” he admitted, frustrated not for the first time by his inability to communicate. “I caught you in a…compromising position. And it’s no secret that I have always dreamed of seeing that…look on your face. But I want to be the reason for it. That might sound silly to you, but I can’t help but feel I would be benefitting from whatever fantasy you were enjoying a moment ago.”

“Benefiting from…” Laura trailed off as the realization of what he was saying dawned on her. She almost laughed out loud at the sheer absurdity of it. Did he not realise that he was always the source of her fantasies? “Just who do you think I was thinking of a moment ago when you walked in?”

“I…” he trailed off, suddenly flustered and embarrassed by her question. “I don’t presume to know precisely what you think of when you…” 

Before he could finish his sentence, she kissed him again and this time, she brought his hands to her center so that he could feel just how much she wanted him.

There was something endearing and extremely arousing by the idea that he was as insecure about their potential sexual relationship as she was. Whatever fantasy she had been enjoying earlier couldn’t compare to the heady feeling she was experiencing now.

“It’s you,” she told him surprised at how husky her voice sounded. “My fantasy. I was thinking of you.” 

He felt like the air had suddenly been sucked out of the room as she spoke. To know that the mere thought of him had brought her to the edge…that he had been the subject of her fantasy, was a prospect he had never even considered. It was one that was both terrifying and painfully arousing. Could he live up to whatever scenario she had cooked up in her head? Would the truth match the fantasy? What if he let her down?

As if sensing his insecurity, she pressed her body against his once more, and trailed soft kisses down his neck to his collar bone.

“It’s always you,” she murmured. Whatever resistance he had left melted in response to her touch. He reached down and tipped her chin gently, drawing her back to eye level.

“I know the feeling,” he said raggedly as he crushed her to him once more.

Without having to ask, she was unbuttoning his shirt, then removing his belt and eventually, his trousers.

The feel of her skin to skin drove him wild. He ran his hand restlessly, almost desperately up and down the back of her. He wanted nothing more than to remove her bra and panties, but the tiniest shred of his self control prevented it.

“Please,” she whispered into his hear, her voice deep and sensual.

It was the please that did him in. No long discussion, no arguing over whether she could trust him, just her standing in front of him giving him a gift he could only ever dream of – her vulnerability and trust.

He suddenly found himself overwhelmed with love for this woman. Regardless of how he had imagined the lead up to this specific event, the feelings associated with it were the same.

His body cried out for her, but he found himself unable to move. He was rooted to the spot, as Laura’s nimble fingers made their way down to the band of his boxer briefs and began to remove them as well. He felt the air hit his erection – already impossibly hard, but before he could reach out for Laura, she was already back to work on his body.

She kissed him all the way down as she did it, eventually landing at the base of his erection. Before he could speak, she took him inside her mouth, causing his breath to catch and his eyes to roll back in his head with pleasure.

He groaned her name loudly as he watched her take him in and out of her mouth slowly at first, then with increasing speed. She looked up and met him eye to eye as she worked him over. He swallowed as he saw the knowledge in her eyes of what she was doing to him and much of a turn on it was for her. Wildly he reached around for something to grip onto, lest he lose all ability to stand entirely. He’d had women do this for him before, but never with such wild abandon and enthusiasm.

He lost all track of time, but eventually the signals in his body told him that if he didn’t stop her now, this would be over before it was supposed to be.

He drew a ragged breath, touched her gently on the head and whispered her name.

“I’m too close,” he said breathlessly.

She stood back up and took a step back. There was something about the way she continue to make eye contact with him as she removed her bra and panties that was simultaneously incredibly sexy and incredibly Laura. Even when making love, she remained in control – a control that he was happy to give her.

The moment her bra and panties hit the floor was the moment that his imagination was replaced with reality and he was happy to see that reality far surpassed anything he could dream up.

Her freckles trailed all the way down her body, but in no particular pattern. Her breasts were small, but perfectly rounded with the nipples erect and pointing upward. Her curves were subtle and drew his eyes to her perfectly groomed centre.

A full moment passed as they took each other in.

He was everything she had expected him to be. Though she had seen him before without a shirt on, she hadn’t expected to be so affected by the way his hair trailed down to the base of his erection. Seeing him standing in front of her with his erection jutting out unapologetically and the intense desire in his gaze had been enough to cause her to need to put her mouth over it.

The fact that she had almost brought him to orgasm that way was a powerful feeling. Wilson had never liked her doing that as he claimed it made him too self conscious.

The moment she had taken him in her mouth and felt his breath quicken had made her even wetter than she already was. To see his eyes darken as she pleasured him almost brought her back to the edge as well. If he hadn’t stopped her when he had, she likely would have come from watching him which was surprising as she hadn’t thought that even possible.

Now she stood in front of him, completely naked herself and instead of feeling self conscious like she feared she might have, she felt strong. She could see just by looking at him how much he wanted her.

“You’re gorgeous,” she heard him say almost too himself.

“Come here,” she said quietly.

He needed no prompting and once again they were in each other’s arms. He kissed her softly, almost delicately before pulling back.

“Can I…” he looked away as if slightly embarrassed by the question. “I want to touch you. The way you were touching yourself.”

“Yes,” she murmured, unable to break the spell that was his eyes. “Please touch me.”

She climbed onto the bed and lay back the same way she’d been doing when he first found her.

Eyes locked, he climbed onto the bed over her and gently touched her knees. She parted them as his fingers trailed down her body eventually locating her slippery centre.

She wanted to close her eyes, but the expression on his face held her spell bound. He slipped one finger inside, then two. Slowly, gently, he tipped them up, finding the spongy part of her that was so sensitive it sent spasms of pleasure through her.

“Do you like this?” He asked quietly, moving his fingers gently in and out, grazing that spot every now and then.

“Yes,” she moaned, “Oh yes.”

It didn’t take long for her to reach the brink of pleasure. Between what she had already been doing before he had gotten there and the magic in his fingers, she was soon bucking underneath him and crying out.

She touched his arm in an attempt to slow the movements.

“I’m going to….”

“I know,” he replied, still gazing intensely into her eyes, “go ahead, love. Let go.”

She did. She didn’t even process the use of the endearment as her whole body seemed to come apart.

She bucked against him until she felt she had nothing left and he held her, allowing her to ride it out.

When it was over, she brought his lips to hers.

He pressed his body down against her and his erection settled comfortably at her entrance.

The slightest push on his part and he would be inside her. They both knew it and yet she could feel his incredible restraint as she held back.

“Aren’t you going to…?” she trailed off, not knowing how to say it in a way that wouldn’t sound vulgar.

“Not unless you want me to,” he told her.

Laura was speechless. She could feel how desperately he wanted to be inside her. She’d never been with a man who respected her the way he did, or who put her pleasure before his own. It rekindled her desire for him anew and she felt her hips tip up towards him in invitation.

“I want you to,” she replied reaching out, wrapping her legs around him and urging him towards her.

He needed very little encouragement, nor did he need much assistance from her body as he slid right in with an audible groan of pleasure.

The feel of his body against her, his heart beating rapidly against her own chest caused the heat to gather once more. She could feel him inside her, filling her in a way his fingers couldn’t. In a way no one else could. His erection was hard, thick and warm causing her to dig her fingers into his back.

Laura was whimpering. He wasn’t even sure if she was aware of it. He hadn’t even started moving but already her body was coming alive once more. She was tight, slippery and so very warm. He fit inside her in a way he never had with anyone else, which caused a low moan to slip from his own lips as he tried to keep from moving just yet. He’d waited so long for this moment, he didn’t want it to end just yet.

“You feel amazing,” he murmured. He was vaguely aware of the feeling of her legs tighten around him and the feel of her fingers digging into his back as she urged him to move.

Before he could do anything, he dipped his head for a long, drawn out kiss. They both pulled away panting heavily from the pleasure of it.

“Are you ready?” He asked her. He didn’t want to do this if she wasn’t going to feel as much pleasure as he was.

“I’m so ready,” she panted moving her hips restlessly against him. It was too much for him. His mind took a backseat and his body took over completely as he began moving in and out of her.

She met him thrust for thrust. Slow, deep thrusts at first, but as her pleas and moans grew louder, so did his responses to her own body.

She was arching off the bed, and digging her nails into his back at the same time. Their lips came together every now and then for a kiss, but the bulk of conversation was done between their bodies.

The complete abandon with which she responded to him, was overwhelming. The short rope he was already on was ready to snap, but he wanted to bring her with him over the edge if possible.

“Laura, I’m about to…” he couldn’t finish the sentence. It was too much as he felt his thrusts speed up and the control leave him completely.

“I know,” she whispered, gently touching his face. “I’m with you. Let go.” And with that he felt her tighten around him and start to convulse. The feeling of her own orgasm took him completely over the edge as he pumped himself into her.


	5. Chapter 5

The moments that it took to regain their composure felt like hours. Silently, Laura found herself being gathered into his arms, her head resting comfortably on his chest so she could hear the beat of his heart as it slowed down to its normal steady _thump-thump…thump-thump_. 

Time passed and neither of them said a word. Laura could only imagine what he was thinking, but for her, all she could do was wonder what had come over her and how this was going to change things.

And it would change things. It would change everything. That one barrier that she’d put in place at the beginning of the relationship was gone and her heart was now left wide open. She’d never been so vulnerable.

Oh, she’d gone to bed with men before. Hell she’d live with Wilson for a brief amount of time, but she had never let them in the way she’d done so a moment ago with Mr. Steele. Somehow she had known from the very beginning that should she allow herself to cross that line with him, she would never be the same.

And she’d been right. It wasn’t the physical act of love making that had done it but the intimacy she had allowed and in turn given to him. She’d shared every single part of herself, body, mind and soul with him.

Now what? Would he reciprocate in kind?

Would he tell her all there was to tell about his past? She knew that he couldn’t give her his name, but there was so much else that she also knew he kept from her. Would he open up to her the way she had opened up to him? Would he tell her how he felt about her – how he _really_ felt?

Did this even mean as much to him as it did to her? Or was it all part of the game they seemed to play with one another? Laura could never be sure. One moment it seemed his feelings were so genuine they frightened them both. Another, he was the flashy conman she had initially been intrigued by, but knew she couldn’t trust. Which was the _real_ him?

As even more time ticked by, she became increasingly uncomfortable by his silence. Was he content to lay there with her, or was he silently contemplating a good excuse so that he could get out of there, go home and shower? Would they talk about this? Or would they both pretend it didn’t happen tomorrow at the office?

Laura didn’t think she could bear the second option, but wasn’t entirely convinced she even wanted the first. This was a stage in their relationship she wasn’t prepared for.

She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable by the weight of his arm curled around her. She needed to get up – needed to get some distance from the feel of his body against hers, the steady heartbeat under her cheek and subtle scent of his aftershave.

As she sat up, she felt him stir. For some ridiculous reason, she found herself grabbing hold of her blouse and using it to cover her bare chest. _Why bother?_ Her inner voice chided, _he’s already seen everything you have to offer._ Still, she kept the blouse there as she sat at the side of the bed, feet dangling over the floor, looking around in vain for her underwear.

“Leaving so soon?” He asked, his voice low and content.

“I…” she trailed off, still intent on finding her underwear which seemed to have disappeared into the same dimension as all her lost socks. “I need to…”

“Stay,” he implored. She still couldn’t turn around and look at him. She knew if she did, those intense blue eyes would take away what little pride she had left. He patted the bed softly. “Please.”

She let out a slow sigh at the comforting sound of his voice. There was an emotion in it she felt she could get lost in if she allowed it. Her hand slipped ever so slightly on the blouse she still held against her chest.

She heard the bed sheets rustling and a shift in his weight told her that he’d pulled himself up. The shadow of his body fell over her as his arms wrapped themselves tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. Her body reacted as it always did to him as he softly kissed her neck, but this time there was nothing she could use to keep her distance.

She felt him gently take the blouse away from her as he murmured quietly against her ear.

“You don’t need to hide from me, Laura. Not now.”

She shook her head and pulled herself back up onto the bed and turned to look at him. There was a nakedness about him that went far beyond clothing. She could see a willingness to be honest with her that had never been there before. It terrified her beyond all reason.

She suddenly realized that she hadn’t been protecting herself in case he didn’t love her – she had been protecting herself in case he did. Because if she allowed herself to believe his feelings were genuine, then she opened herself up to the kind of pain and heartbreak that goes with that love. She’d watched as her mother gave her heart and soul to being the perfect housewife and it still hadn’t been enough for her father.

And when he had left, she had watched every trace of her mother’s happiness and joy disappear – almost as if she had been completely hollowed out. Her father took every bit of her mother with him leaving a broken shell behind – a woman attempting to put the pieces of her life back together with two teenage girls looking to her for guidance.

She didn’t want that for herself. If she was honest, it was one of the reasons she had convinced herself that she loved Wilson. He didn’t demand anything from her emotionally and though his leaving wounded her deeply, she knew somehow, deep down, it could be much, much worse.

And now she understood it. She understood just how much she was risking by allowing him to love her. Could a man like him ever truly be happy in one place? And if he could, was that really the life she wanted?

Recent events in which Mr. Steele had been viciously attacked by Anthony Delgetti – the man responsible for taking them hostage on Christmas Even suddenly sprang to mind. Mr. Steele had been hurt trying to get to her apartment once he realized that Laura’s secret admirer and building manager Wally, was in fact, a dangerous stalker.

Even though Laura handled Wally in time for the police to arrive, it had shaken them both up once they realized how close they had come to death. She recalled him asking her what her plans were should she ever be married and the implicit suggestion that she would need to stay home and give up her life as a private investigator should she choose that path.

She’d shrugged it off at the time, as the comment turned into one of his typical cheesy innuendos, but the thought remained. Even if they both felt the same way about one another, did they have the same idea of what their lives would look like as full and equal partners?

And if he expected her to give up this part of herself, could she do it? Or would she have to say goodbye to him the same way her mother had said goodbye to her father? Could she survive it now that she had given everything she had to him?

“I’m not hiding,” she said a little more forcefully than intended. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself. Either way, if she was having this much difficulty being honest with herself, how could she ever think to be honest with him? She yanked the blouse away from him and stood up, this time too flustered to be worried about the fact that she was naked. Where was her damn underwear?

“Alright,” he said, recognizing her need for space, yet making no move to leave her bed. “Them what do you need from me?”

The question threw her off. It was simple enough, and yet she couldn’t remember him ever asking that of her, nor could she begin to think of how she would respond if he had. No, that’s not true. In the past, she would have said _I need you to tell me how you feel._ But now…now she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Something told her that all bets were off and the honesty that she had previously used as she shield against him would be useless to her now.

“I need my underwear,” she said, her tone crisp as she bent down. She let out a soft sigh of relief as she found both her underwear and bra had somehow managed to make their way under her bed. Standing up, she hastily shoved them both on and instantly felt better. It wasn’t much of a covering but it somehow felt like metal armor.

“Laura, are we going to talk about this?” 

“We are talking about this,” she responded, knowing full well it was a ridiculous response.

“Are you being deliberately obtuse?” He asked, heaving a frustrated sigh and sliding off the bed to look for his own rumpled clothing. “Or are you sincerely that frightened of an honest conversation?”

“Since when are you the spokesman for honesty?” She shot back, hating how nasty her voice sounded. After what had just happened between them it seemed especially jarring and yet she couldn’t seem to hold her own tongue.

“Since we made love not ten minutes ago,” he said, his voice quiet and sad. She allowed herself to turn and look at him finally and let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding. He’d managed to put his trousers on and was in the process of buttoning up his dress shirt – something she found herself wanting to reach out and stop him from doing. Seeing him in the clothing he had worn at the office felt somehow like pressing the reset button and undoing everything that had transpired between them. As confused as she was, that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

She was about to bite back a response, when she paused, allowing the full weight of his words to settle. Thinking back, she couldn’t remember a time when he had referred to sex as _making love._ Oh she had heard him reference it in many ways, some as benign as _tripping the light fantastic_ to other slightly more crude innuendos, but never making love. The closest she could even think that he had ever gotten to in that regard was when he first propositioned her. When her initial response had not been an enthusiastic yes, she remembered him asking her if she could honestly tell him she did not want them to become lovers.

But being someone’s lover suggested a frivolity and impermanence that she would expect from a man who, at the time she knew to be nothing more than a con man. Making love on the other hand, was a conscious choice – something two people did that was not to be taken lightly. They were two very different things with two very different connotations. Did he know that?

“Is that what you would call it?” She asked, taking a tentative step towards him, but mindful of the fact that if she got too close she might find herself right back in his arms. She wasn’t sure at this point if that was what she wanted, but she did know that if that were to happen she needed it to be because she chose it and not because she allowed herself to get lost in those magnetic blue eyes.

“What do you mean?” He asked, pausing in the act of buttoning his shirt.

“Well it’s not the same, is it?” She said, suddenly feeling silly for even having to explain what she meant. “There’s making love, there’s sex, and then there’s…”

She trailed off, the word that she had in her head refusing to make it past her lips. She could think it, but it was too vulgar, and too ugly to voice out loud.

She eventually settled on a different word that started with the same letter – a word that her former secretary, friend and confidant had used in regards to him at the very beginning of their relationship.

“…and then there’s a fling.”

He looked at her, completely gobsmacked.

“Is that what you think this was?”


	6. Chapter 6

Remington stared at Laura, unable to hide his shock and confusion. For weeks they’d been growing closer in a way they hadn’t been able to in the last three years. He’d watched as one by one she had allowed her walls to come down. He’d shared parts of himself with her that he hadn’t allowed any other living soul to see – including Daniel. What had just happened between them hadn’t come out of nowhere. It had been inevitable. Or at least, that’s what he’d thought. Did she really think it had been nothing more than a fling for him?

It hurt his heart to think so and yet there she was, standing in front of him, fixing him with those beautiful brown eyes, looking for answers.

“Do you really think that little of me?” He asked, trying to suppress the anger he felt bubbling below the surface. It would do no good to go on the attack.

“I…” she looked away as if gathering her courage. He watched her shoulders square as she turned to him, and a mask settle over her face – closing herself off to him like she usually did when things started to hit too close to home. “Can you blame me? It’s all you’ve been after since we met.”

“You know that’s not true,” he shot back, unable to contain himself.

“Do I?” She returned, “give me one good reason that I shouldn’t think that what we did was nothing more than…”

“Incredible,” he interrupted, realizing that the only way he was ever going to break through her defenses was by lowering his own. “And you know it.”

“Well that’s awfully bold of you,” she said with a bitter laugh. “Do you say that of all your conquests, or am I special?”

“That’s not fair,” he said, feeling his jaw clench. He knew her anger was a mask for the same fear he was feeling. They both wanted the same thing. Why was it so hard for them to admit it? “You can’t shut me out this time. You can’t pretend things can just go back to the way they were. What happened not half an hour ago changes that and you know it.”

That hit close to home. He could see it in the way her eyes suddenly flashed first with fear and then with anger. He noticed her hands were shaking, giving away just how unsettled his words had made her. The idea that things could not go back to the way they were clearly terrified her.

“What happened half an hour ago,” she said furiously, “was that you invaded my privacy and came in to my loft without my permission…”

“Now wait just a damn minute,” he bellowed, seeing red as the implication of what she was saying hit him. She could lie to herself about her feelings all she wanted, but there was no way he would allow her to twist what happened into something ugly. “Don’t you dare make me feel like I took advantage of you! You _know_ I would never do that. Your door was open, Laura! Only weeks after being attacked by a stalker, no less!”

“So this is _my_ fault?” She interrupted, her voice going up an octave. “I put myself in danger so you felt the need to ride to my rescue, did you?”

“Bloody well right I did!” He yelled, feeling only slightly guilty as the volume of her voice caused her to flinch and take a step back. She was still wearing only her bra and underwear which undoubtedly increased her own feelings of vulnerability. “He was right here…inside your home, inside your life!”

“And I handled it myself,” she said coldly. “I don’t need a knight in shining armour.”

“No of course not,” he said not even trying to hide the scorn in his voice. “You’re Laura Holt! You don’t need anything do you? I don’t need to be a knight in shining armour, but I damn well want to be needed. I could have lost you and I couldn’t get to you! How do you think that made me feel?”

“I don’t know how you feel,” she yelled her volume now matching his. Her whole body was shaking now and he had to stop himself from wrapping his arms tightly around her and holding her close. “I never know how you feel! I’ve asked you so many times and you won’t tell me.”

“I have told you!” He said, the words coming fast and furious before he could stop them. “I have _shown_ you for four years now, you just haven’t wanted to see it. I showed you not half an hour ago for heaven’s sake! Do you think it’s like that for me every time? My God, woman do you think I would have stayed for so long and tried this hard if I wasn’t head over heals in love with you?”

****


	7. Chapter 7

Laura froze. It felt as if time had stopped and she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to start again. She watched as the words left him and the realisation of what he had just said dawned on him. All the anger and bluster left his body and he seemed to deflate right in front of her.

He was breathing heavily, hair dishevelled and the top button of his shirt still undone. He looked utterly defeated – like he had given all he had to give. Though she knew she shouldn’t she allowed herself to look into his eyes. The anger that had flashed there hot and vital only seconds ago had vanished and instead she saw fear and uncertainty – something she was not used to seeing from him. 

It was that uncertainty that caused her numbness to recede, replaced by that old familiar anger that she had clung to only seconds before he had told her he loved her.

And angry she was. Angry that he’d broken their stalemate…their truce. For four years, they had danced around each other, both certain in the knowledge that neither of them was ready to bare their soul. Much like the cold war, Laura had relied on that mutually assured destruction to keep things from changing too much or too fast. Somehow deep down she hadn’t thought either of them had wanted the game to end just yet. She hadn’t thought either of them were ready for the consequences when it did.

They’d been inching physically towards it, but Laura had assumed that even if the inevitable happened in the bedroom it would be ignored, pushed aside or maybe even forgotten by both of them – a kind of selective amnesia.

Never in a million years had she expected him to drop his walls so easily. And it infuriated her. Because she had no idea what to expect or how to act. The man she saw in front of her, so open and trusting was a stranger. She was used to the conman, the man who would use every trick in the book to lure her into a romantic interlude rather than just tell her how he was feeling.

She had gone to bed with one man and woken up with another. How dare he do this to her? How dare he shift things so dramatically with so little warning?

“Laura?”

She must have been still enough to worry him because he waved a hand in front of her face which caused her to blink and step back.

The air suddenly felt cold on her skin and she felt desperate once more for the protective cover of clothing. She turned away from him and frantically shoved on her blouse and the skirt she had been wearing when she left the office. She smoothed her hair back, refusing to look at the rumpled bed sheets as she tried to pass by him.

He reached out and touched her arm in an attempt to gain her attention. She brushed it off and headed down into the living area towards the heavy sliding door in her loft. Her memory rushed back to her and her cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment as she saw that the door was closed but not latched.

He'd been right. She hadn’t closed it properly. If she had, she definitely would have latched it. She’d been doing that every night since she’d escaped from Wally. She’d even been considering another latch to keep it extra secure. She couldn’t believe she had been that careless.

Turning around she watched as he came down slowly from the bedroom level.

“Laura, talk to me.” He said, his voice heavy and resigned. “Please.”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” she said, finding her voice finally. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“Do you want me to leave?” He asked running an anxious hand through his luxurious black hair. “Go home? Meet you at the office tomorrow and pretend none of this happened?”

“Is that what you want?” She asked curiously. He chuckled ruefully.

“I just told you I love you,” he reminded her. “I don’t think that’s possible for me, even if I did want it.”

He sighed and sat down on her couch. Looking up at her, he patted the spot next to her on the couch in invitation. Despite her own emotional confusion, she felt drawn to him as she always did – like a moth to a flame.

Tentatively she sat next to him and allowed him to gather her against him once more. There was something about the feel of his body against hers that calmed her, even in the most difficult circumstances.

“Did I really leave the door open?” She asked him quietly. The fact that she’d been so distracted by him – so consumed by her need for him so as to forget to lock her door after everything that had happened was terrifying in its own right. That he seemed to return that need was even more terrifying.

He’d been right about one thing – they worked in a dangerous profession and she needed to be more careful. When Wally had revealed himself to be a dangerous stalker, there was a part of her that had half expected Mr. Steele to come crashing through the door like the knight in shining armor she’d accused him of wanting to be. When he hadn’t, and she had managed to save herself she was surprised to see that it reaffirmed the knowledge that she couldn’t rely on anyone else but herself.

She never for a second thought that his inability to save her had been weighing on his mind as well.

“Yes you did,” he confirmed. This time there was no accusation or recrimination in his voice.

“What do you want from me?” She asked, feeling comforted as he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

“I want what I thought you wanted,” he told her, his voice a gentle rumble against her body. “What I thought we’ve been working for the last four years. To move forward.”

He shifted back, forcing her to turn to face him. His eyes were open and honest. There was no room anymore for games and half truths and they both knew it.

“I love you,” he said again. Her breath caught at the strength of emotion in his voice. “But if I’ve misjudged us…misjudged you, then…”

“You haven’t,” she said, stopping him before he could finish – before he could give her a way out. As much as she wanted to go back to the way things were, she knew that it wasn’t possible. She couldn’t let him think she didn’t love him. Pretending it hadn’t happened was one thing, but to let him think she didn’t care after he’d confessed his feelings like that would have been downright cruel.

No, it was time to put all the cards out on the table. Even if it didn’t work out at least they would both know where they stood. She took a deep breath and looked into those deep blue eyes once more.

“I love you too,” she said with a quiet confidence she didn’t know she possessed. “I’ve tried not to, but I can’t stop.” 

As she spoke, a smile of pure relief lit up his face. She watched as a weight visibly lifted from him. He smiled from ear to ear and reached out, taking her face in both hands and pulling her close for an incredibly intense kiss. Laura tumbled down against him as the kiss deepened and allowed herself to be swept away by it.

Eventually, she reluctantly pulled back and stood up. He did as well, confused once again by her hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I…” she shook her head, trying to find the words that eluded her. “I thought that was all we needed. Honesty. But I’m not sure that’s enough.”

“What else is there?” He was scared again and Laura felt terrible. She didn’t know much about his past, but the little she did know told her that confessing his feelings was something he did not do lightly. She also knew that he could count the people he trusted with those feelings on one hand. She was now the steward of his heart and she feared she was the wrong person to care for it.

“I don’t think I can be what you want,” she confessed sadly. The knowledge of who she was weighed on her like a heavy blanket. She wasn’t a housewife. She was a Private Investigator and she would never be the kind of woman to stay home, waiting patiently for her husband to return from work. She wanted to keep working. She wasn’t sure if she wanted marriage or children, but she knew that she wanted to keep working.

She hadn’t been able to give Wilson that life, and as much as she did love the man she called Remington Steele, she couldn’t give it to him either. It would be a betrayal of everything she was.

“All I want is you,” he replied tenderly. “Don’t you know that by now?”

“You don’t understand,” she persisted. Didn’t he get it? Or was he deliberately ignoring what was right before his eyes. “When you were injured, you asked me if I intended to pursue this life. You wondered if I planned to get married, have kids and rush off to a nice juicy murder. Your words. I told you at the time that I hadn’t thought about it and I hadn’t – not consciously.”

“We had both just been attacked,” Steele said gently. “I had almost lost you. I was scared. I wasn’t thinking.”

“You were right though,” she interrupted, trying to keep the tears that threatened her at bay. “This life we have is dangerous. And I’m not cut out to stay at home and be a housewife. This is the life I want. It’s the life I’ve worked for, the life I’ve built and I can’t change it. I can’t be the kind of woman who stays at home and makes sandwiches. I couldn’t do it for Wilson and I can’t do it for you. I won’t.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected his reaction to be, but she definitely hadn’t anticipated watching him throw his head back, laughing heartily. She was confused and more than a little annoyed.

“This isn’t funny,” she said angrily swiping away a tear.

“No, you’re right it isn’t,” he said, his voice sobering immediately. “I just…do you honestly think that’s what I want from you?”

Laura gazed at him for a moment, shocked by his answer.

“I…isn’t it?”

He laughed again and this time she didn’t take it personally.

“Are you forgetting that I’ve tasted your ‘special spaghetti’?” he asked, grimacing at the memory. “I haven’t been pursuing you for your domestic skills, Laura.”

“I don’t understand,” she said both relieved and deeply confused. “After Wally attacked…”

“I was scared, like I said,” Steele interrupted. “And I would be lying if I told you that part of me doesn’t wish you would pull back a bit from the more dangerous side of things now and then. But I fell in love with the Laura Holt that can take care of herself in any situation – stalkers notwithstanding.”

“Does it really bother you that you weren’t there?” She asked.

“Yes,” he replied softly. “I would have done anything to get to you. But in the end I didn’t have to because you are an incredible and resilient woman. And I am so damn grateful for that.” 

Without thinking, she stepped towards him once more allowing his arms to encircle her and resting her head against under hers. They were a perfect fit.

“Besides,” he continued, his tone light and mischievous, “I think we both know that your talents lay beyond keeping house. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Laura laughed, enjoying the easy familiarity of one of his terrible innuendos. She pulled back and smiled at him, her heart fluttering at the depth of emotion she saw in his eyes. It occurred to her that it had always been there, she just hadn’t been able to see it. Unable? Or unwilling? It didn’t matter.

She kissed him once more this time with great care and tenderness.

“I do love you, Mr. Steele,” she said. “Or whoever you are. I think I have loved you from that moment I met you.”

“Remington is fine for now,” he replied, his voice husky with emotion. “Or Rem, if you feel more comfortable. I wish I could give you a real name, but…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Laura interrupted, realising that for the first time, she meant it. “It never did. I’m sorry I made you feel like that was something you had to give me, especially since it wasn’t something you ever had to give.”

“Don’t apologise,” he replied, turning away from her and placing his hands in his pockets. By the way he stood, she could tell he was thinking of something. She let him take his time. “It mattered to you at the time. And it should have. I held a lot back. And I’m sorry for that as well, but I think that should be the last time we apologise for things in the past. If we continue to hold ourselves responsible for those mistakes we will never move forward.”

“You’re right,” she said as he turned back to look at her. Like a magnet, she found herself drawn into his arms once more. “But what does moving forward look like for us?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “but what I do know is that nobody has ever told me they loved me and meant it. You’ve already given me everything I have ever wanted. All I can do is promise to give you the same.”

Laura was shaken by his admission and silently heartbroken that his life had been so void of love. She had been so focused on her own need to hear those words, she hadn’t even considered that he might be starving for them as well. She swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

“We’ve established that being a housewife is not something I want. I want to continue working at the agency.”

“Do you want marriage, Laura?” He asked, his blue eyes piercing and inquisitive. “Or kids?” In any other circumstance, she would have deflected the question or ignored it completely. But they had come so far in so little time, that turning back was no longer an option. Besides, Laura realized that she actually wanted to answer him this time. Honesty was turning out to be far more refreshing than half truths and deceptions. She searched her heart for an answer only to find that one was not as forthcoming as she had hoped.

She couldn’t deny that the idea of marriage and children especially with someone like him was appealing. And yet, she had also seen from watching her sister Francis’s that children and a marriage were hard work and she wasn’t sure that running her business was compatible with that kind of life. All she did know was that if she had to choose, she would choose Remington Steele Investigations hands down.

“I…I don’t know,” Laura replied, slightly saddened by the fact that she couldn’t give him an answer. “Part of me wants to say yes. But you were right. We live dangerous lives. I don’t know if it would be the responsible thing to do. Bringing kids into it, I mean.”

“Speaking of responsible,” he said an embarrassed flush settling over his face. Since when was he embarrassed by anything? “What we did only a few moments ago wasn’t exactly, erm…responsible in that respect. Are we prepared to deal with the consequences?”

This time it was Laura’s turn to give a soft laugh as she understood what he was trying to say.

“There won’t be any,” she assured him. “Given how close we had gotten lately I took the proper precautions. I’m on the pill.”

“Laura, I can’t believe you!” Remington said with feigned surprise. “Are you telling me that I was a foregone conclusion? I feel so cheap!”

She laughed again, a loud, boisterous laugh. They were joking with one another. Things really were going to be alright no matter what was decided. The future was not so scary after all.

“I suppose you were,” she teased. “You’ll have to get used to it though. I expect many repeats of that performance.”

“That’s a promise,” he whispered, his voice low and seductive. Their lips met once more and Laura felt her body respond the way it always did when she was this close to him. His did as well as she felt one hand on the small of her back and the other tangled in her hair. The kiss deepened.

“Good lord,” he murmured into her lips, “I don’t know how I’ll survive you.”

“Then to hell with responsible,” Laura whispered, already out of breath with wanting as she pulled back. How would they survive each other? “There are people out there with lives more dangerous than ours. We will figure this out, right?”

“Absolutely,” he said, and she knew from his tone that it wasn’t just words. It was a vow. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“And just how willing are you right now?” She asked, wondering if it was too soon for another round, but knowing that she would never stop wanting him.

“I think I’m going to like being a foregone conclusion,” he whispered as their lips met once more.

****


	8. Chapter 8

Mildred Krebbs had seen a lot of things in her lifetime. From sting operations to international assassination attempts, she now considered herself somewhat unflappable. But nothing could prepare her for the sight that greeted her at the Remington Steele Investigations office the following day.

Not only had Mr. Steele arrived on time, but he’d done so in a suit that she could swear was an exact copy of the one he had worn the day before. No, not a copy, it was the same suit. Not only that, it was slightly rumpled as if it hadn’t been properly cleaned and pressed the way his suits normally were.

Not that she was in the habit of paying that much attention to the boss’s clothing. It was just that he never looked anything less than impeccable when in the office. Occasionally he donned a disguise in the interests of a case, but beyond that….

Could there have been a case last night? Some last minute piece of intrigue? She was about to ask, when the plot thickened as Laura Holt entered the office.

Mildred noted that she wore a trendy, but business appropriate pant suit with one of her trademark fedoras. Her makeup was expertly applied and her hair loose and flowing today. There was nothing specifically unusual about her own appearance per se.

However the fact that Mr. Steele had arrived so early and had come in before her was strange enough on any given day. Add to that his slightly disheveled appearance and she was more than a little curious.

Before she could say anything, Laura approached her. Her expression was all business but the slight flush in her cheeks told Mildred that there was nothing ‘business as usual’ about today. Something had happened last night. Whether it was on the professional or personal side for Ms. Holt, Mildred couldn’t be sure.

They weren’t acting any differently than they normally did with the exception of Steele’s rather early appearance and state of clothing. Yet, if Mildred was learning anything in her training to become a private investigator, it was to look for the smaller details and some of those smaller details were rather screaming at her that things had changed.

“What’s our client list look like this morning, Mildred?” Laura was asking.

Mildred shook her head and turned her attention back to her job. They had a rather light day that day. No actual clients until the afternoon which Miss Holt typically used as an excuse to do some filing, banking or other organizational tasks.

“You’ve got Mr. Jamison at one,” she told her.

Laura turned and gave Mr. Steele a brilliant smile.

“I’ve heard that little breakfast place a block over does an incredible omelette,” she told him. He smiled at her in return, offering her his arm.

“That sounds absolutely perfect, Miss Holt,” he returned.

Mildred watched, jaw slightly agape at the look that transpired between them. She was used to the boss attempting to whisk Laura out of the office for various reasons ranging from breakfast to brunch to an early matinee at the Multiplex, but Laura generally refused and chided him for shirking the responsibilities of the agency.

Now here she was, not only enabling him, but suggesting they leave only seconds after they had arrived. The look that passed between them was not lost on her either.

What on Earth had happened after they’d left the office last night?

Mildred wasn’t normally nosy, but she needed to find out. After updating the Dragon Ladies the night before on the latest events between Laura and Mr. Steele, the Ladies had insisted on setting up a betting pool on when Mildred’s two “kids” would finally get together. They had each put in a fiver.

Well, each of them except Mildred who insisted it was slightly crass.

Still, she knew the ladies would never forgive her if something had happened and she didn’t find out what that something was.

“Mildred we will be going out for breakfast,” Laura said, looking away from Mr. Steele and back at her, professional mask in tact. “Let any clients who come through the door know we will be back around Ten.”

Around Ten? Since when did Laura estimate things like that? She checked her watch. It was Eight AM. Two hours was an awfully long time for breakfast a block away.

“Sure, Miss Holt,” Mildred replied, her own confusion evident in her tone.

“You can handle things while we’re gone, eh Mildred?” Mr. Steele added with a slight tap on her shoulder. Then, looking back at Laura, he winked. “I’m just going to go freshen up. Meet you in the elevator, Miss Holt?”

She watched as he strode quickly into his office no doubt to his private bathroom to change. She knew he always kept a bottle of cologne, a razor and a spare suit in there for these such occasions. If only she knew just what sort of ‘occasion’ this was.

She must have looked utterly baffled because Laura smiled and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow, Mildred,” she said in a quiet, conspiratorial voice. “I promise.”

Mildred gave her a small smile in return and watched as Mr. Steele eventually emerged from his office, wearing a different suit and looking just as impeccable as always.

He wrapped an arm around Laura – another new development as they generally kept their distance physically at the office – and they walked out the door together.

Mildred shook her head, as the evidence of what had likely happened became all too obvious to ignore. She chuckled quietly to herself as she went to work organizing her desk and preparing for the day, all the while thinking that Hazel had won the pool already.

Mildred wondered if the dance was over, or of it was just beginning. 

Either way, it had been fun to watch.


End file.
